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ActivAided Blog

Relieve Stress and Stay Fit with Yoga

April is National Stress Awareness Month and it’s no real wonder that we need it: According to a survey by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, seven out of ten adults experience stress or anxiety on a daily basis. Regular exercise, communicating with friends and family, and getting more sleep all help manage stress, but if you’re still feeling the heavy weight of anxiety, you may want to pick up a mat and give yoga a try. What Is…

Stand Up For Your Health

Do you have the “sitting disease”? This phrase is the newest way to refer to the health effects of a sedentary lifestyle. It’s not surprising that we’ve coined a term for it; an astonishing 86 percent of Americans spend 8 to 10 hours sitting each day. Unfortunately, even the most physically active people may not be able to offset the risks associated with sedentary habits. According to a physician at Mayo Clinic, the risk of heart attack for those who…

Avoiding Back Pain While Cycling

Everywhere you turn, people seem to be hopping onto the bicycle bandwagon. Not only are bikes a fun, eco-friendly way to travel, but cycling is also an extremely effective workout. According to the federal government, biking is one of the safest ways to get aerobic exercise. In fact, the health benefits of cycling are substantial enough to outweigh any negative effects by a factor of twenty to one. Cycling does incredible things for the body. It is associated with improving…

Treat Your Feet: How to Choose Running Shoes

As we enter marathon season, it is a great time to invest in a new pair of running shoes. Generally, it is a good idea to replace your shoes every 400-500 miles. However, if your old running shoes have wear patterns on the sole, it is probably time for a new pair. If you run in worn shoes, you can disrupt the natural biomechanics of your feet and cause injuries that could keep you from running this season. There are…

4 Simple Ways to Improve Your Diet

Happy National Nutrition Month! As spring approaches, it’s easy to be influenced by diet websites and blogs sharing “quick and easy” ways to get healthy. But nutrition shouldn’t depend on the season, and a diet shouldn’t be a temporary solution. In order to maintain a healthy body, it’s important to consume healthy foods every day. While temporary diets can be helpful for some people in the short term, crash diets can be detrimental to your health and cause permanent damage…

Achieving Healthiness

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you and I probably share a very similar desire: we wish good health for ourselves and loved ones. It’s just part of the human condition. We are in the pursuit of healthiness. But what is healthiness? And how do you achieve it? Healthy Body & Mind When I think of healthiness, the first words that enter my mind are diet and exercise. They are followed by medicine and treatment.…

The Pursuit of Healthiness

by Dr. Justin Berthold

Featured Guest Author Justin Berthold, DO – Rehabilitation Physicians of Pittsburgh Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation physician I once was asked to define healthiness. I was an osteopathic medical student at the time, invested in learning about the human body – its framework, visceral organs, vascular structures, neural and lymphatic elements, and fascial connections. It was apparent early in training that all parts of the human body were interrelated, and that disease (the opposite of healthiness), was a manifestation of a poorly…

Do You Even Lift? Strength Training Tips for Beginners

Weight lifting can seem intimidating, especially for newbies. If you don’t know how to operate those strange machines with the levers and pulleys, it can be difficult to take that first step into the weight room. However, strength training is an essential part of a comprehensive fitness program that should not be ignored. Some level of weight lifting is beneficial, no matter your age or gender. The Center for Disease Control recommends strength training to those with arthritis, heart disease,…

Don’t Let Muscle Strain Hold You Back

Muscle strain is never an easy pain to manage. This is especially true with muscle strains in the lower back. If you’ve ever heard of someone “pulling out” their back, they are most likely experiencing a strained muscle. This is not an uncommon experience -- in fact, over 80% of the population will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives. Back problems are actually the most common complaint to health care professionals after headaches. The back…

Don’t Be D-ficient: The Importance of Vitamin D

Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” is created by our cells when our skin is exposed to sunlight. And with just the face and arms exposed, our skin only needs about fifteen minutes of direct sunlight every day to absorb the proper amount of vitamin D. But during the winter months, even that can be a nearly impossible feat to accomplish. Not only do people spend less time outside, and cover up more when they do go out,…

How to Take Good Health Lying Down

Last week the National Sleep Foundation released new sleep guidelines for people of all ages. Nutrition and exercise are both necessary for a healthy lifestyle, but in order to properly rejuvenate your body, rest your muscles, and live longer, you need to get the right amount of rest each night. The panel’s new recommendations are 7-9 hours for adults, 7-8 hours for seniors, and 8-10 hours for teenagers. Most of us know that getting a good night’s sleep is vital,…